§ Dr. IddonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Society of Registration Officers on the provision of premarital counselling to those who marry in registry offices; and if he will make available extra resources to(a) train existing staff in pre-marital counselling skills and (b) recruit and train the extra staff required. [58764]
§ Mr. BoatengMy officials have met members of the Society of Registration Officers, together with other 195W registrars. They were interested in, and broadly supportive of, the Government's proposals concerning the role of registrars.
The consultation document "Supporting Families" proposes that registrars might offer information to couples about marriage and the pre-marriage support services available. This might take the form of a marriage preparation pack produced by experts in the field. Counselling of couples by registration officers is not proposed.
The consultation period of "Supporting Families" runs to 31 January 1999. The Society of Registration Officers has been invited to comment on the Government's proposals. The Government will decide on the allocation
196W
Total police force strength and total Asian officers, by rank, as at 31 March 1998 Chief Constable Assistant Chief Constable Superintendent Chief Inspector Police force Total Asian Total Asian Total Asian Total Asian Avon and Somerset 1 — 2 — 27 — 39 — Bedfordshire 1 — 2 — 15 — 14 — Cambridgeshire 1 — 1 — 12 — 15 — Cheshire 1 — 3 — 21 — 31 — City of London 1 — 2 — 10 — 11 — Cleveland 1 — 2 — 25 — 6 — Cumbria 1 — 2 — 12 — 16 — Derbyshire 1 — 3 — 22 — 21 — Devon and Cornwall 1 — 3 — 29 — 48 — Dorset 1 — 2 — 16 — 21 — Durham 1 — 1 — 21 — 22 — Dyfed-Powys 1 — 2 — 16 — 13 — Essex 1 — 3 — 28 — 47 1 Gloucestershire 1 — 2 — 9 — 16 — Greater Manchester 1 — 6 — 80 — 87 — Gwent 1 — 2 — 12 — 16 — Hampshire 1 — 3 — 34 — 43 — Hertfordshire 1 — 2 — 23 — 26 — Humberside 1 — 3 — 18 — 28 — Kent 1 — 4 — 28 — 47 — Lancashire 1 — 4 1 30 — 28 — Leicestershire 1 — 3 — 18 — 21 — Lincolnshire 1 — 2 — 14 — 22 — Merseyside 1 — 4 — 51 — 53 — Metropolitan Police 8 — 28 — 211 — 342 — Norfolk 1 — 1 — 17 — 21 — Northamptonshire 1 — 2 — 13 — 11 — Northumbria 0 — 4 — 40 — 50 — North Wales 1 — 2 — 16 — 27 — North Yorkshire 1 — 2 — 12 — 19 — Nottinghamshire 1 — 3 — 21 — 22 1 South Wales 1 — 4 — 27 — 51 1 South Yorkshire 1 — 4 — 38 — 45 — Staffordshire 1 — 3 — 25 — 31 — Suffolk 1 — 2 — 12 — 16 — Surrey 1 — 3 — 20 — 18 — Sussex 1 — 4 — 29 — 38 — Thames Valley 1 — 3 — 49 — 34 — Warwickshire 1 — 2 — 11 — 9 — West Mercia 1 — 3 — 16 — 31 — West Midlands 1 — 3 — 52 — 66 — West Yorkshire 1 — 5 — 40 1 73 — Wiltshire 1 — 2 — 14 — 16 — Total strength 49 0 143 1 1,234 1 1,610 3 of resources once the consultation exercise is completed and decisions have been taken on what should be implemented.